IRID: Ionising Radiations Incident Database: First Review of Cases Reported and Operation of the Database

Synopsis

Objectives

In 1996, the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (the Agency) jointly established the Ionising Radiations Incident Database (IRID) and published its specifications 1. The objectives of the database are:

1. to act as a national focus on ionising radiation incidents, primarily in the non-nuclear sector.
2. through appropriate publications to provide feedback and guidance to users on preventing, or limiting the consequences of radiation accidents.
3. to provide regulatory bodies, and others with advisory responsibilities, with analyses of data that help in assessing priorities in resource allocation.

The database is operated by NRPB on behalf of the partners and over the last 18 months the focus of attention has been on the implementation of reporting mechanisms and the entry of available data. A few incident cases from IRID have been reported in the European ALARA Newsletter 2 and there have been a few searches of the databases on behalf of the partners to produce statistical data for internal purposes. The primary objective of this report is to provide the first coherent review of the incidents on the database, which currently total 100. As such it is one of the prime means of meeting the objectives in (2) and (3) above, ie providing feedback and analysis. This report's further objectives are to review the adequacy of the original specifications and the operation of the data collection systems, and to identify possible improvements.

Target audience

Being the first report, with the spread of objectives it has, there are a number of different audiences to be addressed. Firstly there is the audience of trainers, consultants and managers who can make practical use of the feedback from the case studies and lessons learned, but who may not be particularly interested in the operation of the database. This audience overlaps with the second audience covering professional organisations and government bodies that could potentially provide a route for expanding the incident reporting network. Thirdly there are the three initiating partners with an interest in its operational efficiency and output. In addition to these three groups, interest has been expressed from outside the UK by groups wishing to establish similar databases and to translate the case studies into other languages.

Structure of report

The report has been structured to meet these different interests. Section 2 provides a summary of the format and key operational features of the database. Section 3 addresses the extent of coverage, both in terms of time frames and geographically, and in particular sets the scene for the necessary limitations on the statistical analysis of the incidents provided in Section 4. Descriptions of many of the incidents, in a format that can be directly copied for training purposes, are given in Annex A. Section 5 identifies some recurring lessons from the incidents, whilst Section 6 reviews the operation of the database, identifies potential improvements and seeks to expand involvement.

1. Thomas, G O, Croft, J R, Williams, M K and McHugh, J O. IRID: Specifications for the Ionising Radiations Incident Database. Chilton, NRPB/HSE/EA (1996). (This document is available on request).
2. European ALARA Newsletter, Issues 1 to 5. Paris, CEPN (1996-98).

Last reviewed: 30 October 2009